Project 3: Cracking the Mystery of the Missing Cow using Caesar Cipher

Procedure

This section breaks down how each message was decoded and what we learned from it. We had to think logically, experiment with code, and in some cases, make educated guesses.

CLUE 1: 

Encrypted Text:

Vb. Cajw oxdwm jw xynw pjcn. Bqn rb yjwrltrwp knljdbn qna lxf qjb pxwn vrbbrwp!

Decoded Message:
Ms. Tran found an open gate. She is panicking because her cow has gone missing!

What it revealed:
The first clue told us the cow had escaped, and Ms. Tran was looking for it.

CLUE 2: 

Original Encrypted Text:
Tcwn uckf jg ucy vjg eqy jcpikpi qwv ykvj LJ mkfu kp vjg Ewg Swcf gcvkpi okpv ecpfa.

Decoded Message:
Raul said he saw the cow hanging out with JH kids in the Cue Quad eating mint candy.

What this told us:
The cow was seen in the Cue Quad with Junior High students, enjoying some mint candy!

CLUE 3: 

Original Encrypted Text:
Tz. Ayhu yljhssz zllpun Tz. Rpun huk Tz. Zhujolg lhapun aol zhtl tpua jhukf.

Decoded Message:
Ms. Tran recalls seeing Ms. King and Ms. Sanchez eating the same mint candy.

What this told us:
The cow might be with Ms. King or Ms. Sanchez, since they were eating the same kind of candy seen earlier.

CLUE 4:

Original Encrypted Text:
Awumwvm nwcvl i kivlg ezixxmz eqbp “Kitt um” ezqbbmv vmfb bw i vcujmz: 650806….

Decoded Message:
Someone found a candy wrapper with "Call me" written next to a number: 650806….

What this told us:
A phone number was left behind on a candy wrapper—possibly by the person who has the cow, or even by the cow itself! We need the rest of the number to investigate further.

CLUE 5:

Original Encrypted Text:
Zme cuf swbjs cgwfpmy aa sdeo gx goa fv. So otn zbuqe iz. Pb batkkm aw Rs. Yjpjpke’a uohpkk tw mnv pox nabxtpbk svait.

This final code proved to be the most difficult to crack. We had to use a multi-digit decryption tool, but that required us to first determine the correct key. We revisited Clue 4 and the phone number provided, trying multiple combinations for the last four digits—none of which worked at first. After experimenting with a wide range of possibilities and applying some logic based on one of the cow’s last known locations (near the JH kids), we finally landed on 6508069278. That key successfully decrypted the message and gave us a clear result.

Decoded Message:
The cow loves candies as much as you do. No one stole it. It walked to Ms. Sanchez’s office to get his favorite snack.

What this told us:
The cow wasn’t kidnapped after all—it just wandered over to Ms. Sanchez’s office to grab some candy!